With Sen. Lamar Alexander (R., Tenn.) stepping down from the GOP hierarchy, the scramble for leadership positions has begun. Sen. Ron Johnson (R., Wis.), a freshman, is the latest to put his name forward. He’s running for vice-chairman:

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) announced Tuesday that he plans to run for the position of vice-chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, becoming the first member of the 2010 freshman class to make a bid for his party’s No. 5 ranking position in the chamber.

The move by Johnson, a former businessman who ousted incumbent Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) last November, comes hours after Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) set off a leadership shuffle with his announcement that he plans to resign from his spot as the Senate’s No. 3 Republican early next year.

Here’s the senator’s statement:

“I came to Washington because I believe that business as usual is bankrupting America, and it has to stop. Every day I ask myself ‘what can I do to be effective – to have an impact?’ The position of Vice-Chair of the Republican Conference would be an important opportunity to address our fiscal crisis. As Vice-Chair, I would seek to communicate how urgent the problem is and work with the Republican Conference to develop real solutions.”